Three pro-lifers who protested at, and blocked access to, a reproductive health care services clinic in Washington, DC in October 2020 were found guilty of federal charges in a jury on Monday.
The Department of Justice said in a press release that 41-year-old Jonathan Darnel of Arlington, Virginia; 73-year-old Jean Marshall of Kingston, Massachusetts; and 74-year-old Joan Bell of Montague, New Jersey were each convicted of federal civil rights conspiracy and freedom of access to clinic entrances (FACE) act offenses.
The DOJ said Marshall and Bell traveled to DC to meet with Darnel and to participate in a clinic blockade coordinated and streamed live by another co-conspirator on Facebook.
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Jonathan Darnel will face trial on federal charges in September for the 2020 “rescue action” demonstration at an abortion clinic in Washington, DC (Screenshot, Fox News Digital)
During the blockade on October 22, 2020, the defendants were accused of creating a blockade at the clinic, preventing the clinic from providing reproductive health services.
Marshall and Bell were part of a group that forced their way into the clinic and blocked two doors with furniture, chains, ropes and their bodies, according to the prosecution.
Darnell, who remained outside the clinic, streamed the activities on social media.
PRO LIFE ACTIVISTS FOUND GUILTY ON CONSPIRACY CHARGES FOR 2020 ‘RESCUE ACTION’ AT DC CLINIC
Inside a court with a gavel. (iStock)
In doing so, all three defendants violated the FACE Act after using physical obstruction to injure, intimidate and distract clinic employees, as well as a patient who was receiving reproductive health services.
US District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who presided over the trial of Marshall, Bell and Darnel, ordered all three defendants immediately detained as required by law.
Sentencing for the three will be scheduled at a later date, and each faces up to 11 years in prison, three years of probation and a fine of up to $350,000.
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Pro-life activists participate in 2 of the 49th annual March for Life as they march on the US Supreme Court on January 21, 2022, in Washington, DC. The rally drew activists from across the country calling on the US Supreme Court to overturn the Roe v. Wade legalized abortion nationwide. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
In August, five co-conspirators – Lauren Handy, 28, of Alexandria, Virginia.; John Hinshaw, 67, of Levittown, New York; Heather Idoni, 61, of Linden, Michigan; William Goodman, 52, of Bronx, New York; and Herb Geraghty, 25, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – were convicted of the same charges, and another co-defendant, Jay Smith, pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 10 months in prison and three years of probation.
Prosecutors argued in all cases that the pro-life activists violated the 1994 FACE Act, a federal law enacted under former President Clinton that prohibits physical force, threats of force or intentional harm. of property to prevent a person from obtaining or providing abortion services.
Before the trial, Darnell, said he pleads not guilty.
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“I am absolutely not guilty of the charges brought against me, which is very ironic that I have to find myself in this position,” Darnel, a professing Christian, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “However, if a jury finds me guilty of FACE even wrongfully, it would be an honor because children deserve to be protected.”
